Research into the cleaning of acrylic paints
is one of the main areas of the GCI's Modern
Paints Project. An important aspect of this
research has been to ensure that its findings
are useful to conservators. To accomplish this,
a series of case studies is being undertaken.

In July and August 2010, a large acrylic
emulsion painting by Doug Wheeler, Untitled
(1964), was treated in the GCI's science labs
by private conservator Chris Stavroudis and
Jennifer Hickey, a graduate student from the
training program of the Conservation Center of
the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University,
supported with analysis from GCI scientists.
The predominantly white painting was
extremely dirty, and the artist had considered
respraying the entire painting in an attempt to
re-create its surface. As Wheeler commented
during a visit to the GCI labs, "I want my work
to feel like you're seeing particles of color in
the air very subtly."

A variety of different aqueous cleaning
systems were tested and examined. The types
of cleaning formulations that performed best
in trial tests carried out on acrylic emulsion
paint mock-ups appeared to be well suited to
cleaning the Wheeler painting. The formulation
ultimately chosen for cleaning balanced
the need for a workable speed of dirt removal
with the ability of conservators to achieve an
even, uniform paint surface after cleaning.
(Read the Getty's blog, the Iris, for more about the
painting's cleaning.)

Also in conjunction with research into the
cleaning of acrylic paints, the GCI is presenting
the workshop "Cleaning of Acrylic Painted
Surfaces" (CAPS), as part of the GCI's Science
Series Workshops, a collaboration between the
GCI Education and Science departments. The
first of these CAPS workshops was held at the
Getty Center in July 2009. A second workshop
is planned for May 2011 in New York.

In other news, the GCI organized a threeday
meeting in Brazil in December 2010 to discuss
the current state and future requirements
of research into the conservation of modern and
contemporary art in Latin America. The gathering
was the second in the GCI's Conservation
Issues of Modern and Contemporary Art
(CIMCA) series, and it follows a highly successful
meeting held at the Museum of Modern
Art in New York in June 2008. CIMCA2 was
organized with the School of Fine Arts,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo
Horizonte, and the contemporary art organization
Instituto Inhotim in nearby Brumadinho.
The thirty invited participants—from a range
of conservation and related backgrounds—
came from countries across Latin America,
including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico,
Peru, and Uruguay. They were joined by representatives
from Spain, the Netherlands, and
the United States who are active in the region.

Discussion at CIMCA2 focused on the
need for stronger networks, improved pooling
of resources, and the building of better
partnerships across the region. The need for
a series of workshops and/or focused conferences
on various aspects of contemporary art
conservation was also stressed, as well as the
desire to have key publications on the subject
translated into Spanish and Portuguese. A full
report of the December 2010 meeting will be
available on the GCI website in fall 2011.

For more information on the GCI's Modern
and Contemporary Art research, visit the GCI
website.